Syosset Advance (10/6/23)

Syosset FD dedicates new fire apparatus fleet

In TOB, school bus cameras inactive

BY RIKKI MASSAND

At the Syosset Central School District board of education meeting held on Monday, September 11, the board heard an update from Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers about the use of cameras on school buses.

The short answer is that although the buses are now equipped with cameras for safety and traffic law enforcement reasons, these cameras are not currently in operation during any periods of bus travel within Syosset, Woodbury, Jericho and areas in the Town of Oyster Bay.

Rogers noted that in 2022, Nassau County had originally approached school districts about entering

Members of the Syosset Volunteer Fire Department, along with officials from the Town of Oyster Bay, dedicated new fire apparatus during a wetdown ceremony.

Officials from the Town of Oyster Bay joined the Syosset Volunteer Fire Department to dedicate a fleet of 6 new firetrucks, including 5 new engines and 1 new rescue. Fire departments from both Nassau and Suffolk Counties participated in the ceremonial wetdown, a fire department tradition to officially

“bless” the new equipment as neighboring firefighters douse the trucks using a fire hose.

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino thanked the members of the Syosset Volunteer Fire Department for putting the lives of others above their own and recognized their outstanding ser-

vice and dedication to the community. Councilwoman Vicki Walsh also recognized the commitment of these first responders and shared how this new equipment will further the department’s goal of answering the call of service in neighbors’ time of need.

into agreements with county government for the Stop-Arm camera program, as a safety measure and to discourage drivers from passing school buses when the arm is extended – which is illegal.

Rogers spoke about the change in the County’s position after that initial outreach to districts, as County Executive Bruce Blakeman defeated the incumbent Laura Curran almost one year ago, and under him the new Nassau County administration decided it did not want to run the program.

The Stop-arm camera program was then delegated to Nassau’s three townships: the Town of Oyster Bay, home for Syosset Central

School board looks at selecting new mascot

BY RIKKI MASSAND

At the September 11 meeting of the Syosset Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers detailed his research on selecting a new Syosset school district mascot to replace the recently-retired Syosset Braves teams’ name and Native American logo.

New York State has required all

school districts which use Native American-themed mascots and team names to change those names by the end of the 2022-23 school year.

During the summer the Board directed the superintendent to conduct a survey of other school districts which selected a new school mascot and logo. The administration noted that several districts

See page 12 See page 12

Syosset schools awarded Presidential Citation for music

The Syosset school district has received the Presidential Citation Award from the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA).

The Presidential Citation Award is NYSSMA’s highest honor bestowed on K–12 Districts for their support of and excellence in Music Education. The application is an extensive review of concert recordings, school enrollment, ensemble rehearsal minutes, budgetary support and curriculum. No more than two of New York’s almost 700 school districts may receive this award in any given year. In some years, NYSSMA

Recital by acclaimed pianist at Community Church

chooses not to bestow the award to anyone.

“We are honored to be the recipients of the Presidential Citation Award,” said Dr. Christopher Hale, coordinator of fine and performing arts. “This recognition is a result of the hard work of our faculty and the long-term commitment district leadership has made to music education.”

For the first time since 1991, Syosset Central School District will receive the NYSSMA Presidential Citation. The award will be presented at the association’s Winter Conference.

Friends of Syosset Library plan book sale

Find books for children and teens on a multitude of subjects—fiction, non-fiction, art, cooking, crafts, and more—all at low cost at the Friends of the Syosset Public Library book sale. Sale dates are Saturday, October 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday, October 15, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Donations of hard and soft cover books for children and teens are welcome and may be accepted for sale. Donation dates are Thursday, October 12, from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday, October 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Donations may be dropped off at the front entrance of the library only on the donation dates and times noted. All items must be clean and in good condition. Books only—no CDS, DVDs,

talking books, or any other formats. No textbooks or magazines; test prep review books are eligible.

Would you like to volunteer to help sort or sell items? If so, the Friends would love to hear from you. Contact Judy Davidson (friendsofsyossetpubliclibrary@gmail.com), or leave your name and contact information at the library (516-921-7161) to pass on to the Friends.

The Friends is a not-for-profit volunteer group of residents, formed in March 2005, dedicated to furthering community awareness of the functions, resources, services, and needs of the library. The book sale is the Friends’ major fund-raising event of the year.

A concert by internationally recognized pianist Alejandro Picó-Leonís has been rescheduled to Friday, October 6th at the Community Church of Syosset, where he began his professional music career twenty-five years ago as music director. He will be performing works by Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Turina.

The public is invited to the recital, which is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. There is no admission charge (a freewill offering is suggested). Entrance to the church is on Church Street in Syosset, between Berry Hill and Split Rock Roads.

In addition to his work as director of music, organist and choir director at St. Kevin’s Church in Vienna, Austria, Mr. Picó-Leonís has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician on important international stages, including Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, and in Heidelberg, Madrid, Munich, New Delhi, and Prague. He has given masterclasses at the University of Vienna, has been lecturer-collaborative pianist at the Wiener Meisterkurse and the European

Music Institute in Vienna, and has recorded chamber and solo CDs for Oehms Classics, Odradek Records, and Rondeau Productions.

Alejandro Picó Leonís Photo by Stefan Seelig

Town awards $50K to Chamber of Commerce

Commerce and Business Associations that were negatively impacted by the COVID pandemic. The funding, which is being distributed to up to 12 Chambers of Commerce and business associations through the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, is being provided through the American Rescue Plan Act and at no cost to Town taxpayers.

“We recognize the crucial role that local Chambers of Commerce and Business Associations play in supporting small businesses, fostering commerce and establishing connections with potential customers. Unfortunately, so many of these organizations were significantly impacted by the COVID pandemic, leading to financial hardships,” said Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “As part of the Town’s commitment to supporting our local communities and

ness associations in the Town of Oyster Bay. Entities are eligible to receive up to $50,000, which can be used for a variety of purposes, including operations and maintenance expenses and community investments. Additionally, individual businesses and non-profits who have not yet applied for the Town’s $5,000 ‘Oyster Bay Forward’ grant program can still receive funding. The program is available to businesses that employ up to 50 full-time equivalent W-2 employees as well as sole proprietors. Additional eligibility criteria and application information can be found at TOBforward.com.

“Local businesses are the heart of our communities, and we want them to thrive as they keep local dollars on the economy, provide local jobs, build a strong tax base and invest in the local community,” said Councilwoman

Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor Joseph Saladino (fifth from left) presents a check for $50,000 to the Syosset Chamber of Commerce.

GRIMALDI’S FAMILY MEALS ARE PERFECT FOR BACK TO SCHOOL !

Available September 5–November 12 for lunch and dinner. Take-out only.

1) One 18” Pizza with Choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip OR Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad and Complimentary 2-Liter Bottle of Soda ($2.50 Charge to Substitute Different Salad) $38 plus tax

2 ) One 18” Pizza, One Order of Penne alla Vodka, Choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip OR Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad and Complimentary 2-Liter Bottle of Soda ($2.50 Charge to Substitute Different Salad) $53 plus tax

3) Two 18” Pizzas with Choice of Spinach and Artichoke Dip OR Grimaldi’s Mixed Salad and Complimentary 2-Liter Bottle of Soda ($2.50 Charge to Substitute Different Salad) $60 plus tax

Additional items may be purchased at regular menu price. Toppings available for aditional cost. May not be combined with any other coupon, discount, offer, or Groupon. Prices do not include tax or gratuity. Available for take-out only. No substitutions.

Volunteers needed to assist with oyster shell recycling at festival

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Town officials, including Receiver Jeff Pravato, Town Clerk Rich LaMarca, Supervisor Joseph Saladino, Councilwoman Vicki Walsh, Councilwoman Laura Maier and Councilwoman Michele Johnson, show a sampling of the more than three tons of oyster shells collected at last year’s Oyster Festival, which are recycled back into the waterways to improve water quality and help with growth of new shellfish.

The Town of Oyster Bay invites residents who would like to help the environment and preserve local waterways to take part in the Town’s shell recycling initiative at the upcoming Oyster Festival, taking place Saturday and Sunday, October 14 and 15, in Oyster Bay.

“We are looking for enthusiastic volunteers to be a vital part of our environmental mission to help protect our harbor and improve our waterways,” explained Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “As a Shell Collection Station Attendant, volunteers will contribute their time to help divert oyster and clam shells from landfills, which will instead be recycled and used for habitat restoration and growing new oysters.”

gram and educating attendees about its environmental benefits. Those interested in participating will be asked to participate in a Zoom session to become familiar with the program and will receive a t-shirt, as well as community service hours for their participation.

“This wonderful initiative helps us restore the populations in our harbor while improving water quality,” said Councilwoman Walsh. “After the festival, the shells are transported by Town aqua-culturists to a curing facility, where they remain for several months prior to being strategically returned to the harbor to assist in the growth of new shellfish. This great program not only helps ensure the shells don’t go to waste, they provide an excellent source of habitat for young shellfish to grow and mature, offering protection from weather conditions and predators.”

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK FOR LUNCH & DINNER

Delivery through:

SUN–THU: 11:30AM–9PM • FRI–SAT: 11:30AM–10PM Grimaldi’s Gift Certificates Make A Great Gift For Any Occasion!!

980 Franklin Avenue, Garden City www. grimaldisgardencity. com

Volunteers at this year’s festival will be asked to commit to working in three-hour shifts. Available time slots will be from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. on both Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15. Responsibilities will include identifying oyster and clam shells, overseeing a shell collection station with separate bins for general trash and for shells, guiding festival goers in correctly sorting their waste, and answering questions about the shell recycling pro-

Anyone interested in volunteering for the shellfish recycling program can contact the Department of Environmental Resources at (516) 677-5943 or by emailing Environmental @oysterbay-ny.gov. For more information about the program, visit www.oysterbaytown.com/ shellrecycling.

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Bethpage man arrested for 7-11 robbery

Nassau County Police have arrested a 51 year-old Bethpage man for allegedly robbing a 7-11 store on May 13.

According to police, Kenneth Amblo entered 7-11 located at 4220 Hempstead Turnpike, displayed a knife and demanded cash. Police say the male employee complied, opened the register and the Amblo removed an undisclosed amount of US currency. He is also charged with a second robbery at the same location which took place on August 24.

Amblo was charged with two counts of Robbery 1st Degree and four counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

Two vehicles

stolen from dealership

Burglars stole two 2023 Dodge Durango vehicles from a Syosset car dealership on Thursday, September 28, at 3:10 a.m.

According to Nassau County Police, two unknown subjects entered a Westbury Jeep dealership lot located behind 150 Miller Place, Syosset. The subjects located a white 2023 Dodge Durango and a black 2023 Dodge Durango and were able to gain access inside. They activated the vehicles and fled the scene heading westbound on the

Long Island Expressway. The investigation is ongoing.

The first subject is described as an adult male wearing a black sweatshirt, black pants, white sneakers and black face mask. No further description available. No description of the second subject is currently available.

Detectives request anyone with information regarding the above incident to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or call 911. All callers will remain anonymous.

Mums and Music

at the Community Church

The Community Church of Syosset will be holding a Mums and Music event on Saturday, October 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (Pumpkins will also be available!) Music will be provided in collabo-

ration with the Children’s Orchestral Society.

The Community Church is located at 36 Church Street, Syosset.

Kenneth Amblo

Valid at all Holiday Farms locations. Expires 11/30/23. Offer not to be combined with any other offer including senior discount. Code 9920

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Jericho student earns national scholarship

students could also learn about modern food systems like sustainable agriculture and where their food came from.”

He said the app helped the Evergreen Program to collect data on students food choices and was able to reconfigure ingredients to make for better tasting and more nutritious meals.

“For instance, instead of just a traditional pasta dish on the school menu we could reconfigure ingredients to come up with several pasta dishes like lasagna, fettuccine alfredo and spaghetti bolognese,” said Bindra.

He added that the program also repurposed unused food in a compost garden located on school grounds.

“The fruits and vegetables grown in the garden are used in the school’s FACS and cooking classes, as well as donated to local soup kitchens in the area.”

Arjun Bindra

BY GARY SIMEONE

Arjun Bindra, a precocious student from Jericho High School, helped to create a specialized app that monitors foodwaste inside schools. The senior student, along with a few of his classmates, created the program, entitled Evergreen, that reduces food waste inside schools based on students’ choices. The app helped him earn a Nobel Good Earth Sustainability Scholarship given by the NSHSS (National Society of High School Scholars.

“We developed this app that helps collect data from students on what foods in their school lunches they enjoy and what they typically discard,” said Bindra. “This helped us to adjust the menu to eliminate waste, and on the app

Annual benefit, cocktail party supports Boys and Girls Club

Bindra and his team, which was made up of his brother Jee Van Bindra and classmate Yas Hwin Sajja, entered the scholarship competition through the Intuit Social Innovation Challenge.

They were also part of an integrated learning initiative that was organized by MIT, entitled the Valfee (Valuable Feedback) project.

“We shifted our focus from our own school to more of a global platform where we could focus on things like using both beneficial and harmful fertilizers and pesticides to help farmers with sustainability and harvesting,” said Bindra.

The Nobel Good Earth Sustainability Scholarship recognizes students who actively share their dedication to conservation, sustainability, environmental policy, and preservation of the Earth.

The Boys and Girls Club of Oyster Bay — East Norwich will be holding its annual reception following a successful return to in-person celebration in 2022. Michèle Bahnik Mercier, committee chair, along with her dedicated committee, are thrilled to be bringing the community together on Wednesday, October 18, from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., for the Annual Benefit and Cocktail Party. This event will be a celebration of generosity of spirit that underlies the entire community, bringing loyal supporters, parents, alumni, friends, and staff together to appreciate each other and to support the vital work of the Club. With the continued success of the virtual auction the last three years, the Club will be holding the tradition and conduct the online auction starting Monday, October 16, and ending Sunday, October 22, 2022. The online auction will continue past the in-person Cocktail Party held at the Boys & Girls Clubhouse, on Wednesday, October 18.

“The Club is focused on helping children and teens realize their full potential by providing safe, stable environments, and positive, enriching physical, social, and emotional experiences,” said the Club’s executive director, Jean Marie Weiner. This fundraiser provides the much-needed funds for the continuation, enhancement and growth of the Club’s programs and services.

“We are looking forward to a wonderful cocktail party with all of our friends and supporters after such a successful return to in person celebration last year. The Boys & Girls Club is incredibly grateful for the commit -

ments made and honored by many of their longtime sponsors of this event, and we hope this year’s online auction will be equally or more successful than past years’,” said Michèle Bahnik Mercier, committee chair.

You may participate in this event from anywhere in the world, on any device! There is an amazing lineup of dazzling and fun items. Thanks to generous and loyal donors, there’s something for everyone at the auction: scores of gift certificates, weekend getaways, sports activities, a wide variety of merchandise, etc. There is no charge to bid online, but registration is required to place bids, or to support the Club. Bidding starts at 9 a.m. (EST) on Monday, October 16, and ends at 9 p.m. (EST) on Sunday, October 22. Participants may view the gifts at their leisure, place their bids, and check back and bid as often as they wish throughout the week.

The Club is hopeful the 2023 Celebration of Children event will raise the critical funds necessary to fuel the Club’s mission of. Each of these events is vital to making the Boys & Girls Club of Oyster Bay-East Norwich’s life-enhancing programs available to all youth.

For more information or questions regarding tickets, sponsorship opportunities or auction donations, please contact: Becca Guskin, fundraising@ bgcoben.com, or 516-922-9285, ext. 14.

The Boys & Girls Club of Oyster Bay-East Norwich is a 501(c)(3) organization. Contributions are tax deductible, as allowed by the law. Federal ID #11-2136505. Follow us on Facebook or at www.bgcoben.com.

Fall Toddler Arts and Crafts program

The Town of Oyster Bay will be offering the popular Toddler Arts & Crafts Program again this fall, beginning on October 10. This 6-week program offers classes at the Town’s Ice Skating Center Community Room in Bethpage and at the Hicksville Athletic Center, and is open to children ages 2 through 4.

“The Town’s Toddler Arts & Crafts Program is a wonderful way to help support your toddler’s development through nurturing their artistic expression,” said Town Councilwoman Vicki Walsh. “Classes will certainly fill up quickly as

this program offers children an opportunity to meet others their age and explore their creativity. Highlights of the program include holiday crafts and ceramics.”

The Toddler Arts & Crafts Program begins October 10 and is 6 weeks in duration. Residents who sign their toddler up for the program must choose one class per week, per child. Classes will take place on:

• Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m. for twoyear-olds, and 11:00 a.m. for three-andfour-year-olds at the Hicksville Athletic Center in Hicksville;

• Wednesdays at 10:00 a.m. for two-

year-olds, and 11:00 a.m. for three-andfour-year-olds at the Ice Skating Center Community Room in Bethpage;

• Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. for twoyear-olds, and 11:00 a.m. for three-andfour-year-olds at the Ice Skating Center Community Room in Bethpage.

Registration will take place ONLINE through the Parks Portal available at oysterbaytown.com/portal beginning on September 6 at 9:00 a.m.. Space is limited- first come, first serve. Registration will close when the program reaches full capacity.

Each class is approximately 45 minutes. The cost of the program is $35 per child who is a Town resident, and $45 per child whose care giver is a Town resident but not the child. The child’s birth certificate and a tax or utility bill will be required to validate age and proof of residency. A guardian must be present during the class. A smock and supplies will be provided with enrollment.

The Toddler Arts & Crafts Program is run by the Town’s Parks Department, Recreation Division. For further information, please call (516) 797-7945. Let

Levittown students honored in National Merit Scholarship Program

The Levittown Public School District is pleased to announce that eight students from Division Avenue and General Douglas MacArthur high schools have been selected as Semifinalists and Commended Students in the prestigious 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Division Avenue seniors Alex Gao and Syeda Nowroz were named Semifinalists, while six Commended Students were named at MacArthur: Drew Atkins, Benjamin Campbell, Giulianna Ervolino, Zarif Jamal, Christopher Lieb and Sydney Packer.

From more than 1 million entrants nationwide, more than 34,000 students were

named Commended Students and more than 16,000 were named Semifinalists. Honorees were selected for their outstanding scores on the PSAT or the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. Commended Students received letters of commendation from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

As Semifinalists, Alex and Syeda will advance in the competition for Merit Scholarship awards. In addition to other academic requirements such as maintaining a high grade level, they will write essays for the competition.

General Douglas MacArthur seniors Christopher Lieb, Drew Atkins, Zarif Jamal, Benjamin Campbell, Sydney Packer and Giulianna Ervolino were named Commended Students.

Division Avenue High School seniors Alex Gao and Syeda Nowroz were named Semifinalists in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Photos courtesy of Levittown Public Schools

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Selecting new mascot School bus cameras

School District, as well as the Towns of Hempstead and North Hempstead.

“Two of the towns in Nassau County currently have the Stop-arm camera programs but Oyster Bay (TOBAY) has not yet instituted a Stop-arm program. But the school buses that our provider Huntington Coach uses are part of the fleet that services many Long Island school districts. Some of the districts we have the same fleet of buses from are located in the Town of North Hempstead, and other districts are in Suffolk County. It makes sense for our fleet operator Huntington Coach to have cameras on their buses and my understanding is that the cameras are GPS-enabled and they are not in operation in any jurisdiction that does not have a standing agreement for the use of Stop-arm cameras – including in Oyster Bay,” Dr. Rogers explained.

The Town Board has been presented with information and has taken action to help with the enforcement of vehicular violations regarding passing a school bus when its Stop-arm is extended.

On June 27 the Town Board unanimously approved a resolution amending the Oyster Bay Town Code by adding Chapter 116, in accordance with Section 1174-A of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law, “governing drivers who illegally overtake or pass a school bus that has been stopped to receive or discharge passengers,” as Town Clerk Richard LaMarca explained. A public hearing on the new Local Law was held at the Town Board May 9 meeting prior to approval.

In earlier Town government discussions on the matter, Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino pointed out the same concern as Dr. Rogers – people in communities of the Town of Oyster Bay have observed the cameras on the Stop-arm of school buses. He questioned whether they were already in use, but they aren’t and were not earlier in the year throughout TOBAY. Town Attorney Frank Scalera shared many details from the traffic fine enforcement angle as a mechanism the Town would ultimately rely on for the administration of the tickets and fines.

“New York State spells this out in 1174-A for the Town to approve the local law, as without it there is no mechanism to adjudicate or administer anything the cameras on the bus record. Videos and pictures will come to the Town for administration and then the summons would go out to the violator,” Scalera said.

The plan for discussions and ultimately agreements with individual school districts within the Town was shared with the Board members at their June meeting, and previous to that at the May 9 public hearing.

With his introduction of the new local law a few months ago, Scalera spoke on the premise of amending Town Code, “The legislative intent for the Town of Oyster Bay to do this is obviously our most precious commodity and most precious resource – for the health, safety and welfare of our schoolchildren. The Town government and our law office has performed due diligence with experts in this field, and they have opened our eyes up to what has transpired across the country and how effective STOP-arm cameras and recordings have been for reducing accidents or tragedies.”

On September 11 Dr. Rogers said if the Town of Oyster Bay Board adopts a resolution to permit the buses’ Stoparm cameras to run as part of the enforcement program, the Syosset Central School District will “undoubtedly be approached to see if we want to be a part of it.” When that occurs, he will present the proposal and details of the camera usage within district borders to the board of education for their consideration.

“Just to let people know, as of right now the Stop-arm cameras are not enabled because there is no framework where they could be enabled,” Dr. Rogers said.

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were examined, and some of their selection processes were abbreviated, some were very elongated.

“I’ve looked at quite a few school districts with some having gone through a process and others that are currently in one. It turns out that there are a lot of common features to the processes they’re using. Typically there is a start involving organizing an advisory committee; that advisory’s composition looks different in the different places and the charge, or how much that advisory committee is responsible for, also seems to vary from place to place. Different communities will approach things in different ways and they have different methods of what they customarily have done. That was often reflected in the shape and composition of their advisory committee,” Dr. Rogers noted.

Near the end of the September 11 meeting School Board President Carol Cheng shared that the mascot selection process ahead for Syosset will be covered at the next board meeting, which was set for Tuesday night October 3.

“We will begin that process and the board will give our administration more guidance on how to proceed to the next step,” she said.

Syosset has already noted that its mascot and logo selection process will include methods of community outreach and engagement. Preceding her announcement Superintendent Rogers reported on multiple topics raised during the summer meetings including

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the mascot matter. He told the board there has been a “concerted effort at community engagement” in every district and mascot change the Syosset CSD administration investigated.

The most typical starting point for a school district’s outreach has been through surveys to residents, with the effort of identifying “values” of a community and sometimes, the ideas for mascots.

“Most of the advisory committees and school districts will start with an outline of a value identification process – they ask, what are the things we think of when we think about our community? What are the things we value? What traits in a mascot/logo will exemplify that? Before getting to what the actual mascot could or will be, there will be that reflective work done. They examine what they want it to say about ourselves, and what we want it to reflect as some sort of an image. We’ve found that surveys are often used to take a list of potential mascots and narrow that down to a few mascots,” Rogers explained.

An example he provided was the Weedsport, Cayuga County New York district, west of Syracuse. “I thought they did a particularly good job and their list of criteria noted that any mascot/logo idea would need to use the existing school colors. It would be a recognizable logo in big and small font sizes and it would wear well on uniforms, etc. – and they wanted it to be

Syosset School Board reviews student achievement results

BY RIKKI MASSAND

At the September 11th meeting of the Syosset Board of Education, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Thomas Rogers shared information on how decisions the district made in the recent past have borne fruit with solid scores reflecting students’ high levels of competency in English/Language Arts, Social Studies, Mathematics and Science.

Dr. Rogers announced the program and curriculum decisions made several years ago by the board and administration to improve academic instruction have “shown up” with the new set of student achievement data. The overall positive trends for Syosset student achievement were noted over several school years, he said.

The Syosset Board of Education received reports on student assessments from the district’s two assistant superintendents: Dr. Raymond Loverso, assistant superintendent for Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment and Assistant Superintendent for Pupil Personnel Services Erin Goldthwaite.

At the Board’s October meeting Goldthwaite was scheduled to share the MTSS system, relating to student achievement data, with highlights of how Syosset CSD continues to support students “so they engage in rigorous material AND have their social/emotional needs met.”

The schools’ data on performance of students in English/ Language Arts noted the success of several iniatives, including: the workshop model of instruction, incorporating strategic phonics instruction at primary school level, richer and more diverse classroom libraries with new materials, and the expanded and ongoing professional development for Syosset CSD teachers.

The shift to a workshop model of instruction for ELA and Math was supported by Syosset CSD’s investment in curriculum materials. Dr.

Loverso said the Science curriculum moved away from “cookbook labs” and towards inquiry-based and hands-on learning experiences. Supporting students’ academic needs in relation to the curriculum will be detailed in the MTSS report at the October meeting.

Loverso also reported that the administrative teams at the two middle schools, Harry B. Thompson and South Woods, have worked continuously on the curriculum plans to smooth the transition of students from 8th grade into Syosset High School.

As part of the presentation, Assistant Superintendent Goldthwaite examined the ELA student achievement data.

She began with charts on the results of student’s scores on ELA and Humanities testing. The ELA Regents scores –marking the only ELA Regents administered for students during high school, administered in the junior year – indicate a near 100% passing rate for Syosset.

Data shown to the board should be read with the note that year 2020-2021 was atypical for standardized exam administration, but instead was a one-day exam which was a hybrid to test old and new passages. Goldthwaite described that year’s data as “an outlier score.”

There was no ELA Regents exam administered in school year 2019-2020 due to the Covid19 pandemic.

“These results highlight the performance of our students over the years with the instructional shifts we implemented, presenting the evidence of growth that our students had. The chart reflects the highest level of mastery a student can achieve, with scores of 85 or higher on the exam. In 2022 the levels of mastery returned to similar scoring as our pre-pandemic levels although for many students, as juniors it was the first time taking Regents exams in their 11th grade year. Many had not taken a Regents exam

in the 9th and 10th years,” she said.

Goldthwaite discussed one slide in the presentation on AP Language and AP Literature scores for Syosset High students. AP Language scores have remained “relatively stable” while gains have been made with better AP Literature scores. The gap between how well students at Syosset High and their counterparts in other Long Island districts have performed has grown, however, as Goldthwaite said “we have not yet seen the significant drop in scores that the region has since 2020 in AP Language.”

On the Humanities side she reviewed Social Studies’ scores and data, and told the board it was most relevant to talk about Social Studies along with the look into ELA.

“This does resemble what an ELA exam looks like as we’ve moved away from the memorization of facts when it comes to social studies. It is really more about application and understanding of knowledge,” she said, adding that no U.S. History Regents exam was administered in 2021-22, and the test score of 2022-23 did not count.

“Both graphs continue to tell the story of increased mastery and student performance over time. The new framework for curriculum was given with our Global Studies exam, dating to 2018-2019, as it shifted what the exam was scoring as well as the way in which we were able to score it,” she noted.

The district reviewed students’ scores to take time and review “what worked” for the academic program.

Assistant Superintendent Goldthwaite commented, “Our focus on increasing continuity – both horizontally across grade levels and vertically from one grade to the next –has supported student learning overall and therefore student achievement. Integration of the workshop model of student instruction has allowed teachers to also work more individ-

ually with students, in a differentiated way and personalizing their instruction overall. We’ve also enhanced our libraries to provide greater choices of student reading materials that meet their individual levels, as well as providing windows and mirrors for students to continue to diversify our library.”

Superintendent Rogers commented on the long-term outlook as the years leading up to 2023-2024 set the stage.

“In education what we’re doing is preparing foundations, and those foundations allow our students to achieve at higher levels in the future, but they have to grow to attain those higher levels at greater ages. A lot of what the district is doing is looking back at the fairly muscular decisions that were made, to see if those decisions had the results we anticipated that they would have. We utilize the data to adjust in the course of moving along, but in anticipating the big-picture decisions that we made some while ago,” he explained.

Due to a delay from the New York State Education Department, the presentation on student achievements on September 11 did not include the data from the spring 2023 ELA and Math standardized exams. Dr. Rogers said the spring administration of these exams and their results for the district will be reviewed at a later date. He noted that some of the data points it will include are important for Syosset Schools to follow up on, in particular since 2022-23 was the first school year in about four years that was not interrupted due to issues with the Covid-19 pandemic.

The next steps in student and curriculum development for Syosset CSD were outlined on September 11, starting with the partnership the district has for the entry into the school system – working with Universal Pre-K sites.

“We want to leverage our Pre-K footprint for our students that are coming in. Last year

Syosset selecting new mascot

we started assessing students and guiding instructional focus with the programs to create yearly goals in our UPK sites. This year the goal happens to be Literacy instruction and we have begun working on the implementation of explicit phonemic awareness, as well as phonics instruction into each UPK site,” Assistant Superintendent Goldthwaite told the Board of Education.

There are cumulative UPK folders shared with the primary school buildings’ administrations so the incoming kindergarten class teachers will have access to learning and materials covered in Syosset’s UPK classes. The folders contain assessment results, work samples from Pre-K and any reports shared with families.

For its K through 12 ELA focus Syosset school district has committed to strengthening literacy instruction and the expanded emphasis on phonics for all readers and for struggling readers – “Phonics for All.” The phonics focus and approach to building mastery combines with Syosset CSD’s growth, enhancement and expansion of K through 2nd grade reading units of study.

The plans for ELA instruction include using researchbased support plus a balance of decodable and leveled books in classrooms and libraries, and “explicit skill instruction in areas of comprehension, decoding and fluency,” Goldthwaite told the school board. She also discussed the methods for “scaffolding skills throughout and across the district’s youngest learners’ units of study,” plus the strategic use of video and multimedia along with texts.

From page 12

unique and not something any other district in the region had, something memorable,” Dr. Rogers said.

He outlined the examination once the mascot and logo ideas come forth, checking on the potential for them to fit both the community’s values and if they would be good stand-alone

branding. “You come down to the finalist candidates and you have some process for that final candidate to be selected among finalists. Once that is done there is a process for actu-

al artwork and branding work to be done there is a process for the actual mascot and logo to be implemented,” Rogers said.

Jericho Schools welcome newly arrived families

The Jericho School District held a Welcome Night for families that have recently moved to Jericho. The night included a community fair that featured local organizations, including the Girl Scouts, Jericho Cares, PTAs, Jericho Athletic Association, JEF, Chinese Association of Jericho, Jericho Public Library, and the Jericho Fire Department. Families had the opportunity to learn more about these commu-

nity groups.

Then, families met Superintendent of Schools Hank Grishman who introduced Jericho’s administrators who spoke about transportation, school lunch, technology, and special education. Principals and PTA presidents then met with families to speak about school specific topics. It was a great night for Jericho’s newest residents!

The new families loved getting a library card from the Jericho Public Library.

The PTAs are a great resource for new families — the provide so much information and sold swag!

The Jericho Athletic Association is a great organization for families

The Chinese Association helped with translations for families that needed it and also welcomed new families to join.

The Jericho Fire Department is an important volunteer organization.

October 6, 2023

New Brunswick Roadtrip: Metepenagiag

Heritage Center Highlights Miramichi Visit

BY KAREN RUBIN TRAVEL FEATURES SYNDICATE GOINGPLACESFARANDNEAR.COM

So often the best travel experiences happen by serendipity. I had left the Bay of Fundy coastal trail behind in Moncton this morning to continue our New Brunswick roadtrip, driving 90 minutes to Miramichi, a small city that’s the gateway to northern New Brunswick, Canada, renowned for hunting and fishing. I meet up with Amanda Craig, from Miramichi’s tourism office who was taking me to hike a mile-long trail to Fall Brook Falls (at 108 feet high is the highest in New Brunswick). It’s located in Irving Woodlands private preserve, but alas, the access road is closed. I had spotted a sign along the highway to the Metepenagiag Heritage Park and was really excited to learn more about New Brunswick’s First Nations history and so we head there.

Metepenagiag is so much more than a museum exhibition – it preserves, documents, honors and resurrects the Mi’kmaq heritage and culture.

Metepenagiag is an active archaeological site and research center where artifacts unearthed have provided proof the Mi’kmaq have been occupying this land for at least 3,000 years. When you first walk into the exhibition building, you can look into the lab where researchers examine artifacts. Some of the items, like a 1200-year old Earthenware pot, arrowheads and other items are on display.

The significance of this place is clear when you learn that it was after decades and generations of a national

Heritage interpreter Marcus Alexander LaViolette guides us around the Metepenagiag Heritage Center, where archaeological finds discovered by his great grandfather Joe Augustin, have proved the Mi’kmaq people have lived here for 3,000 years © Karen Rubin/goingplacesfarandnear.com

policy to eradicate First Nations’ cultural heritage, when even speaking the language, so critical to passing along its oral history and tradition, was banned and children were forced from their community into residential schools to strip away their native identity, that in the 1970s, a Mi’kmaq member, Joe Augustine, discovered the Augustine Mound and Oxbow.

“When a company was planning to expand its gravel pit in our community, our beloved and respected Elder Joe Augustine remembered being told from his Elders before him of an old burial ground in the area,” state the notes accompanying a photo of Joe Augustine and his wife Yvonne (Paul) Meunier digging at the pit state. “He went to the site they described and found what was

to become the Augustine Mound - a cemetery dating back to over 600 BC. The concept of preserving, protecting and presenting the rich Mi’kmaq culture is expressed by our Elder and lives on in our community.”

In 1977, archaeological work began on another site Elder Joe Augustine uncovered: the Oxbow, a village site situated at the head tide, showing Metepenagiag has had over 3,000 years of continuous settlements right to the present day.

Constructed about 2500 years ago, the circular Augustine Mound is a rare example in the Maritimes of the elaborate burial tradition associated with the Adena culture, which originated in the Ohio River Valley and then spread throughout eastern North America. The rich archaeolog-

ical record found at the site includes well-preserved textiles and basketry, ornaments of Lake Superior native copper, Ohio fireclay pipes, and distinctive Adena-type stone tools dating back 7000 years.

The types of objects retrieved from the Augustine Mound are exceptional for this area of Canada – copper beads on leather, small pieces of baskets, textiles, animal hides, moose-hair work, porcupine quills, feathers and wooden-handled tools. The salts from thousands of copper beads helped save the raw natural fibers from decomposing.

The earth mound, the types of burials and the artifacts suggest that the Mi’kmaq of Metepenagiag probably carried on complex trading and cultural relations with other Aboriginal societies as distant as central Ohio.

Oxbow is one of the largest pre-contact archeological sites in the Maritimes and remarkable for its rich and deeply stratified record of almost continuous human occupation. The artifacts uncovered show that for the past three millennia, aboriginal people have repeatedly come to this oxbow in the Miramichi River to fish, hunt and gather plants. Seasonal flooding covered their camps with silt, preserving evidence of their everyday life, including stone tools, ceramics, and fire pits.

“The findings of these two archeological sites scientifically prove the ancient oral history we have always known, passed down through many generations. This is our legacy and how two national

Continued on next page

Continued from previous page

historic sites came to be.”

“Elder Joseph (Joe Mike) Michael Augustine (1911-1995) left an important legacy: the rediscovery of the Mi’kmaq identity and culture as a people and as a nation.” Joe Mike served two terms each as Chief and as a Band Councillor.

“This is archaeological proof of living here 3000 years,” says our guide, Marcus Alexander LaViolette, heritage interpreter, a 20-something fellow who turns out to be the great grandson of Joe Augustine, making his remarks all the more poignant.

One room displays how the Mi’kmaq would have lived, season by season (they lived along the river in warm seasons, and moved to the forest in cold).

Mi’kmaq ancestors lived in wikuoms (wigwams), not tipis, which typically would have been built by women.

Marcus shows us a re-created canoe and the skin of an Atlantic sturgeon, which grew to a size “as long as a canoe.” A main food source for generations, the sturgeon, which could grow over 3 meters long and weigh 400 kilos, are now exceptionally rare – the last one was caught 30 years ago. “Sturgeon are an ancient fish in an ancient river; they haven’t evolved,” Marcus tells us.

The birchbark canoe “was likely the most remarkable Mi’kmaq construction.” It ranged from 3 to 8 meters long; with high ends and raised sides, a uniquely Mi’kmaq design, that kept the canoe from taking on water.

The exhibit hall is a portal to ancient history, he tells us, stressing that it is a point of pride that all the notes are equally translated in English, French, and Mi’kmaq, especially since only 5% of Mi’kmaq people can understand their native language. There are about 200,000 Mi’kmaq in Canada and in Maine.

“We slowed down First Contact,” Marcus says, then adds, “The Mi’kmaq

GOING PLACES, NEAR & FAR....

New Brunswick Roadtrip

way of life did not last. With the first Europeans came dramatic changes. The ancestors began to spend more time gathering furs to trade for the prized European goods. They became dependent on Europeans for food. European diseases killed whole Mi’kmaq villages. With few people left to pass on tradition, much knowledge and history was lost.” In fact, the British barred them from hunting or fishing.

This place had always been important for trade – there is even evidence of the Vikings having come. European merchant traders set up a commercial fishery on the Miramichi River in the 1760s that destroyed much of the traditional salmon fishery. “The few Mi’kmaq living at Metepenagiag struggled to survive.”

This is what made a magnificent embroidered, beaded coat that is on exhibit all the more significant, and treasured by the community: it is a re-creation of a fabulous coat, meticulously crafted by local women for a British sea captain, Henry O’Halloran. At a time when the Mi’kmaq were forced onto a reserve and weren’t allowed to hunt or fish, Captain O’Halloran traded with the indigenous people, provided food and formed a close relationship. The coat was made in 1841on the occasion of making him an honorary chief. This one is an exact replica, made by the local women, which if sold, would be valued at $300,000. (Marcus proudly says he got to model it.)

Metepenagiag Heritage Park has 1800 meters of groomed trails (30 minutes walking time) that let you “walk in the footsteps of our ancestors” to the water.

What is more, you can overnight in a tipi (glamping), cabin or lodge, have a First Nations dining experience, storytelling and be immersed in the 3,000year heritage around a campfire. Or take part in “A Taste of Metepenagiag” and learn about foods and cooking tech-

NUTRITION NEWS

BY CHARLYN FARGO

niques. New experiences are also being developed.

The Mi’kmaq operate SP First Nations Outdoor Tours, authentic indigenous experiences that begin with a traditional welcome, a river tour by canoe or kayak, storytelling; and authentic First Nations dining and accommodations (56 Shore Road, Red Bank NB, Metepenagiag, 506-626-2718).

Metepenagiag Heritage Park, 2156 Micmac Road, Red Bank NB, 506-8366118, info@metpark.ca 1-888-380-3555, metpark.ca.

Sportsman’s Paradise

Miramichi is world renowned as a sportsman’s paradise for fishing, hunting, hiking, kayaking, tubing down the rivers, and the longest zipline in New Brunswick (1200 feet).

Miramichi is so prominent for salmon fishing (baseball star Ted Williams used to invite major celebrities including Marilyn Monroe to his family cottage in Blackville), that there is actually an Atlantic Salmon Museum, founded by the local historical society in 1982, that displays 5,000 artifacts “celebrating the artistry of fly tying, the beauty of a well-crafted rod and, above all, the nobility of that ‘king of fish’ the Atlantic salmon.”

Most notably, the museum is the repository for the internationally revered John William Keith-King collection of 150 plates that feature exquisite flies combined with stunning artwork and historic photos, plus artwork, reels, fishing rods, fishing tackle, fish replicas and antique outboard motors. The collection is valued at $500,000 (the plates alone valued at $5,000 each), Believe me, I never thought such a museum could be so fascinating even to someone who has never fished for salmon. This place is pure bliss for fishing enthusiasts. (Admission is free. Check hours. 263 Main St, Doaktown NB, 506-365-7787, www.atlanticsalmonmuseum.com

People come from all over for the

Powerful Fruits and Vegetables

I think we’re still learning how important adding fruits and vegetables can be to our health.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate, based on the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, recommends filling half our plate -- every time we eat -- with fruits and vegetables.

Plant-based diets are currently recommended for cancer prevention and for heart-healthy diets, as are Mediterranean and DASH diets.

That’s because fruits and vegetables ae

nutritional powerhouses, rich in nutrients and fiber that support good health.

In a recent study in the July issue of the journal BMI, European researchers found that as little as one-third of a cup more fruits or vegetables daily could reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 25%. The study compared 10,000 adults with newly diagnosed Type 2 diabetes to 14,000 diabetes-free adults and found a 25% lower risk of developing the disease with every 66 extra grams (onethird of a cup) of fruits and vegetables eaten each day. Researchers found it was the actual fruits and vegetables rather than supplements that were effective in

opportunity to fish and hunt, staying in upscale places like The Ledges Inn, a 4.5-star outfitter with 10-room lodge, picturesquely set on the bank of the Miramichi River, where you can enjoy salmon fishing, upland bird-hunting, four-wheeling, snowmobiling (30 Ledges Inn lane, Doaktown NB, 1-506365-1820, Ledgesinn.com); and the historic Wilson’s Sporting Camps, a family-owned hunting lodge, offering sportsmen retreats since 1855(23 Big Murphy Lane, McNamee NB, 1-877-3657962, Wilsoncamps.nb.ca).

Back in Miramichi, I spend a pleasant evening at Richie Wharf, a charming waterfront park and historic site, where on Friday nights locals come out for music and dancing, After enjoying this scene, I have a delightful dinner (mussels!) at Vera’s patio with a gorgeous view of the sunset on the river. (84 Norton’s Lane, Miramichi, 506-625-2300)

I overnight at the Rodd Miramichi River Hotel, picturesquely set in the waterfront village (1809 Water Street, 506-773-3111).

The next morning, I meet up with David and Laini at the Calico Café; and we continue on our roadtrip to French Acadia, where we will bike on the new Veloroute (bikeway) along the coast, through French fishing villages.

Miramichi Tourism, 800-459-3131, discovermiramichi.com

Travel planning assistance from Tourism New Brunswick,  800-5610123, www.tourismnewbrunswick.ca

Next: Exploring French Acadia’s culture and heritage by bike!

See more photos: https://goingplacesfarandnear.com/new-brunswick-roadtrip-metepenagiag-heritage-center-highlights-miramichi-visit/

© 2023 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear. com,

Crossword Answers

disease prevention.

Think about how you can add a few more fruits and vegetables each day -berries on your cereal, a banana on your oatmeal, a veggie tray with hummus, or maybe an apple with peanut butter. Rather than reaching for a cookie, try snacking on a handful of grapes or an orange. Don’t be afraid of the sugar in fruits. Because it’s natural sugar rather than added sugar, our body processes it differently due to the fiber and other nutrients in the fruit.

The bottom line is daily fruits and veg-

Continued on next page

Recognizing Columbus’ perseverance & vision

BY CLAIRE LYNCH

Columbus Day is on October 9 and as a federal holiday, it’s when we remember Christopher Columbus’ impact on the world.

A native of Genoa, Italy, Columbus was born in 1451. His father was a wool weaver and his three brothers, Bartholomew, Giovanni and Giacomo, also worked in the shop. Columbus worked there as a boy but Genoa is a small seaport town on the Mediterranean Sea and Columbus always felt drawn to the sea. He left the family business at the age of 14, went to sea and became an experienced sailor. He then moved to Lisbon, Portugal, to gain support for a journey he was planning to find new trade routes to the Far East.

Columbus was self-educated in geography, history and astronomy. In Lisbon Columbus studied mathematics, astronomy, cartography and navigation. Portugal was an ideal place for an explorer to study because for the most part it was responsible for beginning the Age of Exploration under the leadership of Prince Henry the Navigator during the early 15th century.

It was in Portugal that Columbus met his wife, Felipe Perestrello. She was the mother of his first son.

Columbus developed a plan to seek a western sea passage to the East Indies because he hoped to profit from the lucrative spice trade. Columbus first submitted a proposal to Portugal who denied his request for funding not once but twice. He also suggested his plan to Genoa and Venice, Italy, but they said no. He even asked the monarchs in France and England for support for his exploration but he was denied. They didn’t believe that he would be successful.

After the Granada War, and following Columbus’ persistent lobbying in multiple kingdoms, monarchs Queen

Isabella I and King Ferdinand II of Spain agreed to sponsor a journey west. The monarchs wanted to believe the theory that there was an easier way to get to Asia so that they could reap the trade benefits faster and cheaper than Portugal could. Columbus’ promise to the queen and king was to bring back gold, spices and silks from the far East.

el was guesswork. The exact size of the planet Earth was unknown and there were two known ways of measuring degrees of latitude: the method developed by the Greek philosopher Poseidonius and the method developed by the medieval Arabs. In making his own calculations, Columbus argued that the circumference determined by both methods was the same but he forgot that Arab miles were longer than Roman miles. Using that data, Columbus assured his backers that his small wooden ships could make it from Spain to Japan in 30 days. His voyage on three ships from Palos, Spain, however, lasted for 10 weeks. Between them, they carried about 90 men.

In 1492 Columbus did sail the ocean blue. He also made three additional voyages to the Americas, exploring the Lesser Antilles in 1493, Trinidad and the northern coast of South America in 1498, and the eastern coast of Central America in 1502. Columbus never

stepped foot in North America - his ships had landed much further south. History notes that 500 years before Columbus, a Norse Viking named Leif Eriksson and his crew set foot in North America and established a settlement in present day Newfoundland. Eriksson is credited with being the first European to cross the Atlantic Ocean.

Columbus was named Admiral of the Ocean by the Spanish monarchs thanks to his discovery of America. He was promised this title before setting out on his voyage - it was part of his proposal for the reward of a successful journey.

As young students in school my classmates and I learned the rhyme, “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue,” which helped us remember the story of Christopher Columbus. Columbus died in 1506 and he was buried in Valladolid, Spain.

Happy Columbus Day to all!

Leaving Palos de la Frontera, Spain, on August 3, 1492, with three ships called the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria, Christopher Columbus and his crew made landfall in the Americas on October 12. His landing place was an island in the Bahamas. He later visited the islands now known as Cuba and Hispaniola, establishing a colony in what is now Haiti. Columbus returned to Spain and word of his voyage soon spread throughout Europe.

Christopher Columbus is most known for his voyage in 1492 because it was that trip that opened up a whole New World. Until his death Columbus believed that he had found a new route to the East Indies. His voyages, however, prompted the exploration of Europe and colonizing the American continents.

At the time Columbus made his famous journey a lot of overseas trav-

Powerful Fruits and Vegetables

etables -- even small amounts -- can be a step toward a healthier life.

Q and A

Q: Are smoothies nutritious?

A: They can be, but they can also be fairly high in calories (250-350 calories per serving). Smoothies are a great meal replacement, but if you’re trying to lose weight, you have to consider the calories. Smoothies do serve as an opportunity for easy meal preparation and a way to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. Because the textures of fruits, vegetables, seeds and protein sources become uni-

form when incorporated into a smoothie, many people are willing to be more adventurous in what they add to a smoothie. To up the nutrition in a smoothie, try adding flaxseed, hemp seeds, spinach, precooked frozen lentils, cottage cheese or tofu along with your favorite fruit, protein powder and powdered peanut butter.

Charlyn Fargo is a registered dietitian with SIU School of Medicine in Springfield, Illinois, and the current president of the Illinois Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. .

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

The Windfall Elimination Provision

BY TOM MARGENAU

A few weeks ago, I wrote a column about something called the “government pension offset.” It is a law that essentially says this: If you get a pension from a job that was not covered by Social Security, that pension will be treated just like a Social Security retirement pension and it will be used to offset any benefits you might be due on a spouse’s Social Security record.

There is a companion law called the “windfall elimination provision,” more commonly known by its acronym, WEP, which usually reduces any Social Security retirement benefits earned at side jobs by folks who spent the bulk of their life working at a job that was not covered by Social Security. Most folks impacted by WEP despise the law -- until they understand why it exists.

To explain the reason for the law, I’ve got to start by telling you a true story. It’s the story of my neighbor, Frank, and his housekeeper, Maria. They are both 66 years old. Frank is a retired midlevel manager with our local utility company. He gets a high monthly Social Security benefit -- about $3,400. Maria is divorced and has worked all her life at low-paying jobs. She continues to work to supplement her meager $1,150 per month Social Security check.

Even though Maria gets a much smaller Social Security benefit than Frank, she might find some comfort in knowing that she is getting a better deal out of the program than he is. Or to put that another way, Maria’s Social Security check represents a higher percentage of her lifetime earnings than Frank’s monthly benefit.

And that has always been one of the basic tenets of the Social Security program: to raise the standard of living of lower-income workers in retirement. That is accomplished via a benefit formula structured to give poor people a better deal than their wealthier counterparts. They don’t get higher benefits. After all, Frank’s monthly Social Security check is much higher than Maria’s. But when comparing the rate of return they get based on their past income and the taxes they paid into the system, Maria comes out ahead.

I don’t have the space to get into the nitty-gritty of the Social Security benefit computation formula in this column today (I’ve done it in many past columns). But in a nutshell, I can tell you that Maria’s $1,150 benefit represents about 90% of her average lifetime monthly wage. Whereas Frank’s $3,400 Social Security check is probably about 40% of his average monthly pre-retirement income.

So, poor people get a rate of return that can be up to 90%. Average-income people get a return rate in the 40% range. Very high-income people might get a roughly 30% rate of return. And know-

ing that, I can now move on to a further clarification of the windfall elimination provision.

To do that, I will use myself as an example. I spent the bulk of my life working for the federal government. People hired by the government after 1983 pay into Social Security just like most other people. But folks like me hired before then were covered by the civil service retirement system, not Social Security. And now that I am retired, I get a monthly civil service pension. But I spent some time at jobs where I did pay into Social Security -- a few years before I got hired by the feds and some more years after I retired. And that includes the compensation I get for writing this column, for which I pay Social Security self-employment taxes.

I currently have about 15 years of Social Security covered employment. And that’s enough to get me a small Social Security check. My Social Security check isn’t breaking the government’s bank -- it’s only about $200 per month. And that includes a WEP reduction, which I will explain.

Had my benefit been figured using the regular Social Security formula, I would have received the same 90% rate of return that my neighbor’s maid is getting -- and I would have ended up with a much higher (and unintended) Social Security benefit. Why? Because I look like a poor person to the Social Security Administration’s computers. I’ve got only 15 years of covered earnings. The Social Security benefit formula uses a 35-year base. In other words, there are 20 years of “zero” earnings on my Social Security record. That makes me look as poor as Maria and that’s why I’d normally get the same 90% return rate.

But let’s be honest: I’m not poor. I had a decent-paying government job most of my life that isn’t reflected in my Social Security earnings history. So, I shouldn’t get the same rate of return that the system set up for lower income people. Instead, my earnings pattern is much more like my neighbor Frank’s. I should get the same rate of return (about 40%) as Frank gets, and for that matter, as all other average-income Americans get.

And that’s what the windfall elimination provision does. When that WEP formula is applied to my Social Security computation, it gives me the roughly 40% return rate rather than the 90% rate intended for the very poorest of our citizens.

It’s a law that makes perfect sense. Yet it has many teachers, police officers and other public employees who spent most of their working lives in jobs not covered by Social Security, but who, like me, paid into Social Security in side jobs, up in arms. They think they have been singled out for Social Security benefit reductions that just aren’t fair.

But almost all of these folks are not lifetime low-income workers like my neighbor’s housekeeper, Maria. She deserves the 90% return rate that she

is getting. But if you are someone who spent your lifetime as a teacher or a po-

Continued on next page

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

Answers on page 2

REAL ESTATE WATCH

Will you be in a checkmate situation in real estate?

Homes, condos, and co-ops are still selling due to the market demand. It all depends on how you are pricing your property. There are some places where bidding wars are still a common occurrence as the needs and wants of some buyers are still paramount regardless of the interest rates and prices.

Cash is still king and some are putting down a large sum of money, so interest rates are not as worrisome for them as it is for others; especially those who have left the fray and decided to wait to save more money or leave the area entirely. The question arises as to when this tumultuous environment will become stable once again, where inventory is normal and interest rates become affordable.

The answer is who knows? What has to really occur is for prices to come down to earth, inventory has to increase and maybe rates might come down 1-2%. Historically rates are somewhat normal as they were back in early 2000. However, the rates escalated 11 times over the last several years at a pace never seen before in such quick succession since 1981, when rates at their height were 18+%. But the median price of homes was $65,446, and monthly mortgage, taxes, insurance, and utilities averaged $514 as per an article in the Washington Post. At the time of the survey, rates were 11.6% nationwide and more than half of the respondents found the rate to be acceptable. In January 1981, once they hit 16%, then 85% were shut out of the market, even though home prices were significantly lower than today’s prices.

Although incomes have risen for some substantially, while others are

BY PHILIP A. RAICES

not as much, as needed to afford a home, the median price of a home is $416,100 in the U.S. whereas in January of 2022, the price was $348,079, a record high due to the Pandemic, and having excessive demand from historically low interest rates and low supply. This sharp increase and the much higher rates have put a monkey wrench into the ability of a majority to purchase a home. So although rates are what some would call normal looking back over time, it’s the prices of homes that have caused the change in demand and what is doable for many. What will occur in 2024? Will the Fed lower rates, I am not very confident that this will happen. This might be excellent for government debt as our current rates have caused our debt to increase to over 1 trillion dollars just in interest alone per year and will be the fastest-growing part of the federal budget over the next 3 decades. Will housing have the same allure as it has always had? Will the Fed begin increasing the money supply once again, I am not very confident that this will happen in diluting the value of our dollar and adding to our National Debt. As per the Fed, rates will remain higher than normal for the foreseeable future and this might cause a lowering of demand and a further softening of prices. Moreover, we could see an economy, slipping into a more challenging recession. I do not see a soft landing as business slows, and layoffs

SOCIAL SECURITY AND YOU

The Windfall Elimination Provision

lice officer, or a federal government employee like me, you are simply not in the same boat as Maria. And you shouldn’t get Maria’s “poor person’s” Social Security return rate. You should get a rate similar to all average-income Americans -- about 40%. And that’s what the windfall elimination provision is all about.

One final note on this topic. There are some people who divided their careers between Social Security covered jobs and non-Social Security covered jobs. And the WEP law recognizes that.

The more years of Social Security earnings you have, the less the WEP reduction. To learn more about that, get my “Simple and Smart” book listed below and read the chapter on offsets that affect government employees.

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called “Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security.” The other is “Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts.” You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets.

COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

increase. 2024 will be a new phase for our economy. Will sellers feel more confident selling or will they be more afraid to, due to the higher interest rates and giving up their considerably lower rates and not knowing where to go; or sitting back watching prices moderate?

I believe from having conversations with many buyers, sellers, and even investors that most are in a quandary at this time. People are indecisive and concerned at the moment as to what to do. However, if you can afford to purchase (stable job and business income) and plan to stay in your home for at least 7+ years, you must determine the cost vs. renting and if the numbers make sense in your brain, then they should make sense in your pocketbook. Life is also a bunch of calculations and you have to also feel comfortable in your decision making. Some take more risk than others as it is your individual choice to do so. However, if you were playing a game of chess some know how to play the game and win and some do not. So you must learn and understand how to win and not be in a losing position. No one is clairvoyant in predicting the future, but preparation and doing your homework to be able to navigate the selling and buying process will enable you to hopefully make the proper and correct decisions to be in a satisfactory and hopefully safe and profitable position.

Suite 180 in Great Neck. He has 40 years experience in the Real Estate industry and has earned designations as a Graduate of the Realtor Institute (G.R.I.) and also as a Certified International Property Specialist (C.I.P.S.) and in 2022 has earned his National Association of Realtors “Green Industry designation for eco-friendly construction. He will provide you with “free” regular updates of sold and new homes in your town via the Multiple Listing Service of Long Island (MLSLI) or go to https://WWW. Li-RealEstate.Com and you can “do it yourself (DYI) and search on your own. For a “FREE” `15 minute consultation, as well as well as a “FREE printout or digital value analysis of what your home might sell for in today’s market without any obligation or “strings” attached. He can also provide a copy of “Unlocking the Secrets of Real Estate’s New Market Reality, and our Seller’s and Buyer’s Guides for “Things to Consider when Selling, investing or Purchasing your Home.

You can email or snail mail (regular mail) him with your request or ideas, suggestions or interview you for a specific topic and a Q & A for a future column with your name, email and cell number. He will email or call you back and respond to your request ASAP as long as he has your complete name, cell, email and/or full home or business address. Again, for a “FREE” 15 minute consultation, he can also be reached by cell: (516) 647-4289 or by email: Phil@ TurnKeyRealEstate.Com to answer any of your questions and concerns in selling, investing, purchasing, or leasing residential or commercial property.

Get Results This Autumn!

Philip A. Raices is the owner/Broker of Turn Key Real Estate at 3 Grace Ave

View or Photograph the Solar Eclipse

BY DENNIS MAMMANA

Week of Oct. 8-14, 2023

Last week, I told you about the upcoming annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14. I hope you’ve made plans to view or photograph it from your home or perhaps to travel to the path of annularity.

Whatever your plans, you’ll need to order proper solar filters to keep your eyes, binoculars, telescope or camera safe. You can find sources of these from the American Astronomical Society (eclipse.aas.org); just click “Resources” and place your order before the vendors sell out.

Just remember that homemade filters are very dangerous; fortunately, there are ways to view the eclipse indirectly.

One safe technique is to create a pinhole projector. Cover one end of a box with aluminum foil and punch a tiny hole in it with a pin or a pencil point. With the hole aimed toward the sun, you can project the eclipse onto a white sheet of paper taped onto the opposite side of the box. Do not look through the hole; use it only to project the sun’s image onto the screen.

A disadvantage of this technique is that the image will be quite tiny. The only way to make the image larger is to increase the distance to the projection screen.

Anything with small holes can become a pinhole projector. A straw hat or colander, for example, make great pinhole projectors. So do the leaves of a tree. Just check out the ground under

a sunlit tree; all the bright dots you see there are images of the sun. During the partial eclipse, each of those images will be tiny crescents! And, of course, these are perfectly safe to view or photograph.

Another indirect method is to punch out a 1/4-inch hole in a piece of paper and tape the paper over a flat pocket mirror. If you hold the mirror so that it reflects the sun’s image onto a distant flat surface (for example, onto a light-colored wall in a darkened room), you’ll see the eclipse a bit larger. As always, be extra careful not to shine this into someone’s eyes.

My favorite way to ensure you’ll

have the best and safest view? Check with your local planetarium, science museum or amateur astronomy club about where they’ll be set up that day for free public viewing.

Now, if you’d like to try your hand at photographing the spectacle, there are ways to do this, but the admonition still holds: Never aim a camera or smartphone toward the sun -- and never look through the camera’s viewfinder -- without a proper solar filter attached firmly between the optics and the sun. You’ll discover that the sun’s image will be quite small on the photographic sensor. To create a larger image, you’ll need a pretty hefty telephoto lens or

Knower of Where Things Are

BY TRACY BECKERMAN

My husband and I just celebrated 31 years of marriage. We have a lot to show for it, including two adult kids, a daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-lawto-be. When they asked me what the secret to a long, successful marriage was, I told them two things:

No. 1: Never go to bed angry.

No. 2: Know where he puts his shoes.

As the wife, I seem to have acquired the title “Knower of Where Things Are.” Whether it’s the ketchup in the fridge (on the shelf next to the mustard, where it always is), or my husband’s shoes (wherever he took them off when he got home), I have a sixth sense for finding those items that are invisible to him. In nearly all cases, these items are fairly easy to locate, assuming you look where they always are (i.e., the ketchup), or

a

telescope (also with a solar filter in front of it).

To learn more about shooting the eclipse safely, visit Fred Espenak’s excellent website MrEclipse.com, then scroll down and click on “How to Photograph an Annular Solar Eclipse.” Here, you’ll find a wealth of information about capturing this amazing celestial show.

Keep in mind that there will be other eclipses, but you’ve got only one pair of eyes! Please protect them!

Like and follow Dennis Mammana at facebook/dennismammana. COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM

the last place they were (i.e., his shoes).

The question, really though, wasn’t “Where were his shoes?” The question was “Where weren’t they?” While there was only one bottle of ketchup to be found, my husband routinely had a pair of discarded shoes in every room of the house and for the life of him could never remember where he had left them. I could. It was hard to miss them. And yet he could walk right by a pair and not see them at all.

I realized the issue wasn’t his memory. It was that my husband had a massive case of Hysterical Shoe Blindness.

I wondered if maybe he’d had some kind of shoe trauma as a young child that caused him to block out the sight of his shoes as an adult. Maybe a freak tornado swept through his house and sucked up all his shoes. Or perhaps a shoe thief snuck into the house and

took any shoes that had been left out in the open, leaving my husband utterly shoeless. Whatever had befallen him in his shoe youth, he was now condemned to a life of shoe location issues.

Although I sympathized with his problem, I had to admit, it also irked me. When I wasn’t tripping over his errant shoes or stubbing my toe on a wayward boot, I was having to help him find his shoes so he would not go off to work in his Birkenstocks. Admittedly, I had been known to relocate various family belongings when they were dumped in places they didn’t belong. But in my husband’s case, it really wouldn’t matter if I moved his shoes or not. If he couldn’t find them where he left them, he wouldn’t find them if I put them where they belonged either.

“I have a novel idea,” I said to him. “Whenever you come home, take off

your shoes and leave them by the front door. If you do this every day, I bet you will be able to find them pretty easily the next time you want to wear them.”

“OK,” he agreed sullenly.

For one week, my husband made sure to leave his shoes in the same place at the same time, every day. By the second week, it seemed to have become a habit, and by the third week, he had stopped asking my help in finding his shoes.

“Honey, I think we fixed your shoe problem!” I said gleefully.

“Great,” he said. “Now can you help me find my jacket?”

Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble,” available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble online! You can visit her at www. tracybeckerman.com

Looking down at the ground like this is one of the safe ways to view

solar eclipse.

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EMPLOYMENT

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AIDE Irish trained woman with 10 years experience and excellent checkable references available. Honest and reliable. Licensed driver with own transportation. Please call 516-383-7150

EMPLOYMENT

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Looking for mature local woman willing to work evenings 3pm-8pm one or two nights per week.

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EMPLOYMENT

HELP WANTED

TAX SENIOR

Rankel Loughran Starr & Vallone LLP is seeking a Tax Senior to provide tax advisory and compliance services for High-Net-Worth Individuals, family groups, estates, trusts and partnerships associated with those clients etc. Position requires a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related; 2yrs’ experience as tax senior or related. Rate of pay: $90,979 $91,000/Year. Interested applicants can mail resume with code FLSV23 to:

Frankel Loughran Starr & Vallone LLP

1475 Franklin Avenue Garden City, NY 11530

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MARKETPLACE

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Mon-Fri 10-4 (Wed till 6) Saturday 12-4

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Email photos (with sizing info) to: store@atstewartexchange.org All proceeds benefit The Garden City Historical Society

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MARKETPLACE

INVITED ESTATE SALES

BY TRACY JORDAN

is doing VIRTUAL TAG SALES and ONLINE AUCTIONS now! Sell the contents of an entire house or sell just a few things! You can host your own sale on invitedsales.com and Facebook and Instagram or we can do it for you. We can photograph, advertise and handle the winning pickups for you within a week! Don’t worry about your closing date, we can get your house ready on time! We are a one stop service for all your needs when you are moving or selling a property! Selling, donating, discarding and cleaning out services can be done to meet your time frame with minimal stress. Contact info@invitedsales.com for more information or call 516-279-6378 to schedule a consultation or receive more information.

Visit us at www.invitedsales. com for a listing of our upcoming Virtual Tag Sales and Weekly Auctions!

WANTED TO BUY

LOOKING TO BUY!

Estates, Oriental items, Gold, Silver, Costume Jewelry, Dishes, Flatware, Watches, Clothing, Old Photos, Coins, Stamps, Records, Toys, Action Figures, Comics, Art and Furniture.

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Call George 917-775-3048 or 718-386-1104

TAG SALE

INVITED ESTATE SALES

BY TRACY JORDAN

Thursday, October 12, 2023

9:30 a.m. 197 Kilburn Rd Garden City, NY 11530

Public sale selling furniture, sporting equipment, collectibles, decorative, housewares and books. Visit www.invitedsales.com for pictures & details!!

GARAGE SALE

GARAGE SALE

October 7, 2023

9am to 4pm

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Hicksville, NY

Household items, books, fabric, small furniture and more.

Getting married?

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SERVICES

JACK’S CUSTOM FRAMING

We can frame anything!

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ATTORNEY

STEPHANIE A. D’ANGELO, ESQ.

Elder Law, Wills & Trusts Asset Preservation, Estate Planning, Probate & Estate Administration/Litigation

901 Stewart Ave, Ste 230 Garden City, NY 11530 516-222-1122

www.dangelolawassociates. com

SERVICES

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in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices

No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

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Serving GARDEN CITY and surrounding area since 2003

Repairs & Installations of all types

Carpentry, Moldings, Lighting and More

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PARTY HELP

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Catering and Experienced Professional Services for Assisting with Preparation, Serving and Clean Up

Before, During and After Your Party Bartenders Available.

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Plumbing Repairs

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If you own a business or have a service to provide, we’ll create professional advertisements to promote it and help you be seen by thousands of local readers!

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FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS, LET’S MAKE YOUR KITCHEN

“Put Bullying on Ice” at Town Skating Center

In recognition of National Bullying Prevention Month, the Town of Oyster Bay will be holding a “Put Bullying on Ice” Awareness Day. The event will take place at the Town of Oyster Bay Ice Skating Center in Bethpage on Saturday, October 7, from 2:45 p.m. — 5:45 p.m.p during the public skate session. Free admission and skate rentals are offered for all students and families who reside in

the Town of Oyster Bay. The concessionaire at the Ice Skating Center will offer a 25% discount for all purchases.

Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino stated, “The Town of Oyster Bay is proud to raise awareness and enhance dialogue among children about the dangers associated with bullying while recognizing the need for education and commitment to prevent this

type of behavior. Together, we will Put Bullying on Ice and strengthen the bonds of our community.”

“Together as a community, we will unite for acceptance while pledging to create a kinder world without bullying,” added Town Councilwoman Vicki Walsh. “When we stand together, no one stands alone. That’s why the Town of Oyster Bay, Long Island Coalition Against Bullying,

Long Island Crisis Center, New York Islanders and the Take Me Out to the Ballgame Foundation are partnering to put bullying on ice.”

For more information about this “Put Bullying on Ice” Awareness Day, please contact the Town of Oyster Bay Parks Department at (516) 797-4121.

D’Angelo

Upcoming Events at the Jericho Public Library

Thursday, October 5th

1:00pm Hybrid: The Passionate Reader with Mary Hirdt: They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey

They’re Going to Love You is a gripping novel with psychological precision and a masterfully revealed secret at its heart. It asks what it takes to be an artist in America and the price of forgiveness, of ambition and of love. Listeners are welcome!

Friday, October 6th

10:00am In-Person Free Health Screening: St. Francis Hospital Community Outreach Program

The St. Francis Hospital Bus will be in our front parking lot offering free health screenings. The screenings include a brief cardiac history, blood pressure, a simple blood test for cholesterol and diabetes screenings. They will offer appropriate education and referrals as needed for those attending. Flu shots will be available. No appointment necessary, but you MUST be 18 years of age or older.

10:30am 1,2,3 Full S.T.E.A.M Ahead (18 months-5 years)

This preschool STEAM program includes music movement, fine and gross motor development and storytelling followed by a craft!

Saturday, October 7th

10:30am Itty Bitty Bookworms

(Ages birth to 30 months)

Join us for this interactive program of rhymes, songs, stories and more!

2:00pm Meet the Artists’ Reception: Colorful Inspirations by Carol Bruder, Young Chi, Roseanne Kaloustian, and Nancy Wernersbach In the Gallery in October...Colorful Inspirations by Carol Bruder, Young Chi, Roseanne Kaloustian, and Nancy Wernersbach. The Public is Invited to Attend.

Monday, October 9th

2:00pm Virtual: Profiles with Dr. William Thierfelder: The Four Brontés

This program examines the lives and works of Anne, Branwell, Charlotte and Emily Bronté, with an emphasis on the lesser-known but equally satisfying writing of this remarkable family. There’s more to the Bronté siblings than Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. It’s a story of triumph and failure, lost love and addiction, and most of all, the complications and abiding love of family life.

Tuesday, October 10th

4:00pm Board of Trustees Meeting

The public is invited to attend the monthly Jericho Public Library Board of Trustees Meeting.

7:00pm In-Person: Positioning

Yourself for a Promotion with Pat Fierro

Pat Fierro will lead a workshop on how to best position yourself for a promotion. During this workshop, he will show you techniques to use to advance your career. Pat will walk you through what companies are looking for and the different opportunities, resources and tools you can leverage to consistently expand your skill set and put yourself in the best position to earn a promotion. Pat has over 11 years of human resource experience.

Wednesday, October 11th

10:30am Rock and Read (12 months-4 years)

This is a fun and fast paced preschool readiness program that includes music, movement, and fine and gross motor skills.

7:00pm Hybrid: Optimizing Brain Health with Nutrition with Lisa Zimmerman, MBA, CHC, CPT, CYT Brain health and longevity are affected by numerous factors, many of which can be influenced by dietary choices. Learn how to choose foods and eating patterns that work to support brain health, now and in the future.

Thursday, October 12th

2:00pm Virtual: Art Lecture - Manet & Degas with Professor Thomas Germano

Manet (1832-1883) and Degas (18341917) were friends, rivals, and, at times,

antagonists who defined and influenced modern painting in France. Slightly older than the Impressionists, their art would lay the foundation for this movement. Both artists enjoyed a privileged upper middle class life free from financial restrictions and they were able to experiment and push boundaries free from relying on the Academy's approval. An exhibition will be shown in NYC, September 24, 2023 through January 7, 2024. Presenting the artists’ works side by side, the exhibition and this visual lecture will examine the parallels and divergences between Manet and Degas's art and life.

4:00pm TEENS: Community Service Presentation: Shining Light on Dark Skies: A Journey into Light Pollution Awareness

Are you ready to delve into the captivating world of astronomy and discover the secrets of our night skies? In this presentation, a student-led youth astronomy organization will shed some light on the issue of light pollution and its profound impact on our environment. Explore how artificial light disrupts ecosystems and human health. Then take part in an exciting astronomy game. Prizes will be awarded to the winners! Earn 1 hour of community service credit for attending.

This Week at the Syosset Public Library

Friday, October 6, at 2:00 p.m.

Friday Movie at the Library (IN-PERSON)

Join us for an afternoon movie at the library. Check our website for the movie that will be shown. Go to syossetlibrary.org.

Sunday, October 8, at 1:00 p.m. Rhonda Kay and The Backstage Trio (IN PERSON)

Join Rhonda and her trio to hear some of Broadway’s finest songs, iconic hits, and more from the Great American songbook. For the past decade, Rhonda has thrilled New York City and Long Island audiences with her stage performances and musical theater appearances. She has a passion for Broadway and show music and has appeared at such venues as the Metropolitan Room and the Laurie Beechman Theatre in Manhattan. She is accompanied by a trio of musicians, pianist Rob Fishman, drummer Brad Sporkin and bassist Edgar Mills. Registration required. To register, go to syossetlibrary.org.

Thursday, October 12, at 12:00 p.m.

#AskALibrarian (ON X, formerly known as Twitter)

Join librarians from Syosset Library and around the world on X (formerly known as Twitter) for #AskALibrarian to receive reading suggestions based on your requests. Must have an X account to participate. Read a great book? Need a read-alike? Looking for your next book club choice? Use #AskALibrarian in your post.

Thursday, October 12, at 2:00 p.m.

The Hollywood Career of Judy Garland (VIRTUAL)

Presenter: Brian Rose, professor emeritus, Fordham University

Next to Fred Astaire, Judy Garland may be the most talented person to ever work in Hollywood musicals. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do, from breaking an audience’s heart with a song, to effortlessly dancing up a storm, to delivering comic and dramatic performances that still enthrall today. While she was among the greatest live entertainers in show biz history, and one of the top recording artists of her time, it’s her appearances in front of the camera that remain her lasting legacy. This talk will examine her remarkable Hollywood career. No registration needed. For Zoom link, go to syossetlibrary.org.

Syosset Library Artist of the Month

Thursday, October 12, at 7:00 p.m. Wild Orchids of Long Island Garden (IN-PERSON)

Presenter: David Taft, nationally known authority on native orchids, author of articles on orchids and a writer for the New York Times, photographer, works for the National Park Service, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Over 100 years ago, 38 different species of native orchids grew wild on LI. Remarkably, 23 native orchid species have survived. The lecturer will discuss the orchids native to LI. Co-sponsored by the Long Island Botanical Society.

Thursday, October 12, at 7:00 p.m. Become a Fearless Storyteller (VIRTUAL)

Author Ryan Estrada has been thrown from a moving train, was almost eaten by lions, and was even set on fire. But the scariest thing he's ever had to do? Tell those stories on stage. How did he go from nervous in front of a crowd to a threetime Moth StorySlam winner who turns his stage performances into comics? In this workshop, Ryan will use a foolproof secret method to cure stage fright and develop storytelling skills that you can use to make comics, or to get ahead in any career. A series of fun, interactive minigames will create a safe, welcoming environment that will have even the shyest participants jumping up to volunteer. Registration needed. To register, go to syossetlibrary.org.

Thursday, October 12, from 3:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Friday, October 13, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Friends of the Library Children’s Book Donation Dropoff (IN-PERSON)

Drop off hard or soft covered children’s, young adult (YA) and test prep review books at the front entrance at the times specified. No textbooks or magazines. All books must be clean and in good condition. The Children’s Book Sale will take place on Saturday, October 14, and Sunday, October 15.

Friday, October 13, at 2:00 p.m. Friday Movie at the Library (IN-PERSON)

Join us for an afternoon movie at the library. Check our website for the movie that will be shown. Go to syossetlibrary.org.

Riverhead-based artist Scott Hartman has worked primarily in watercolors and acrylics for the past 43 years. Now retired from the Brentwood School District, he says his goal is to create realistic works of art that evoke an emotion of calmness and that explore the beauty of simple images and quiet places most people take for granted. “I have always found beauty in rural country landscapes, still-life arrangements by a window, rusty or worn manmade objects, and everyday images that are part of daily life or that tell a story of a simpler time or place.”

Mr. Hartman is currently at work on a series of sketches and paintings from his travels in the United States and abroad. “Working primarily from photographs of unique images and points of view, I then cre -

ate transparent watercolors of these photos that explore color, composition, shape, pattern, and texture,” he says. “Many of the images in this series are manhole covers, something we see and walk upon every day without taking notice of their uniqueness.” Mr. Hartman also plans to continue painting inspirational landscapes of the North Fork, which remind him of growing up in rural Pennsylvania.

A selection of Mr. Hartman’s works will be on display in the Syosset Library Gallery through October.

Syosset Library is located at 225 South Oyster Bay Road in Syosset. For more information about programs, services, and hours, call 516921-7161, or visit the library or the website at syossetlibrary.org.

Detail of a watercolor of a manhole cover from a street in Trier, Germany, by Scott Hartman. The cover depicts the city’s coat of arms with patron Saint Peter and his keys.

GRADES

Creating a positive vision at Central Blvd. School

Bethpage students and staff from Central Boulevard Elementary School started the 2023-2024 school year on a positive note as they each “created a positive vision” about the future. “Create a positive vision” is a rule from Jon Gordon’s book, “The Energy Bus for Kids: A Story About Staying Positive and Overcoming Challenges.” The Central Boulevard school community has participated in the Energy Bus program, based on the book, for the past few years to help sustain a positive school culture.

To showcase their positive visions, each staff member at Central Boulevard was asked to think about one word that they want to follow

this school year. They each used paint pens to write their one word on a rock and decorate it. Some of the positive words that the staff picked were blessed, determined, inspire, kindness, perseverance and steadfast. The decorated rocks will be placed outside in a school rock garden for all to see.

Students were also encouraged to “create a positive vision.” During the school’s first Thoughtful Thursday of the 2023–2024 school year, each class was challenged to generate a word or words that best described their goals. The students created a poster with one word that their class agreed upon or they made a word

cloud to display the one-word ideas of each student.

On Sept. 27, Central Boulevard students and staff gathered in the school’s all-purpose room for the first Energy Bus assembly of the school year. The celebration, which was emceed by library media specialist Ashley Scotto and school psychologist Dr. Louis Ricci, highlighted the Energy Bus program, set up expectations for this year’s

program and dove into the meaning of the first rule, “create a positive vision.” Students danced and cheered as Central Boulevard Principal Dominique Siebert held up a sign featuring the first rule. In addition, Ms. Scotto shared that each student would be creating their own one-word license plates during their upcoming library periods which will then be displayed around the school building.

Central Boulevard students participated in the first Energy Bus assembly of the 2023–2024 school year.

Central Boulevard’s library media specialist Ashley Scotto, the Bethpage Eagle, Principal Dominique Siebert, Assistant Principal Julianne Inghilterra and school psychologist Dr. Louis Ricci at the first Energy Bus assembly of the 2023–2024 school year.

Staff members at Central Boulevard Elementary School put their one-word, positive vision on a rock to be displayed outside the school.

Central Boulevard fifth graders in Gina Rufrano’s class held up their one word on Thoughtful Thursday.

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